I think the reason I am so impressed with Lil Ugly Mane starts with that name. What serious rapper would honestly call themselves that? When I was first showed Mista Thug Isolation, I could hardly take it serious because of how simply ridiculous that name is. That and the fact that all the track names are in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, really kind of just made me think this was a combination between Lil B and Riff Raff. For crying out loud, track eight is called, “BITCH I’M LUGUBRIOUS!” So it took me a while to take him serious, but when I finally did, I found a very interesting kind of rap. There are serious influences of thug, ghetto, gangster rap (whatever you want to call it) to be sure. There are the lethargic beats and slow, pointed raps that are the basis of that Waka Flaka kind of rap. Talk of bitches and drugs is also fairly commonplace on this album. But. But. There is something else here that has to be looked for and after much sifting through the lyrics and classic beats, Lil Ugly Mane is actually fairly smart. On second listen, those beats that sound like gangster rap have some interesting influences on them. For example, the great jazz piano in the background of many of the songs is not something that would be found in a Chief Keef song. The voice changes and electronic influences that are used really are not the kind of like Young Jeezy uses. So as I listened to this album more and more, I realized that this is really just a commentary on the direction the rap game has gone. This kind of rap allows hipsters to enjoy some good ol’ thuggin’ music while staying true to their roots of knowing rappers that no one else does. Maybe I am just reading too much into this, but I believe Lil Ugly Mane knows more than what he is letting on and is attempting the greatest social commentary since Riff Raff.